Israelis flock to Peres Center for Peace to pay respects

At the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa, the family of Israel’s 9th President is sitting shiva, the traditional Jewish mourning period. While tonight will mark the Jewish New Year and Israelis all over the country are preparing for the traditional family meal, thousands of Israelis made their way to the center in order to comfort Peres’ children and grandchildren.

There is a long line made up of ordinary citizens and public officials outside the library at the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa. These Israelis have come from all over the country in order to express their condolences to the family of Israel’s 9th President Shimon Peres. The relatives began sitting shiva at the center yesterday evening (Saturday) and are meeting with everyone who has come to express their sorrow.

Beside the long line, there is a memorial table with a guest book on top of it. On the walls, pictures from the Shimon Peres Archive are hanging. The people who worked with Peres in the past few years are busy inside the center today as they are making sure that everything is carried out as planned.

“I wanted my children to taste history,” said Rinat Cohen, who came with her three children from Holon. “They saw what was reported throughout the week and talked about it at home and at school. It was important for me that they be part of it.

About meeting Peres’ family, Cohen said: “It was very moving. The family was very warm and his [Peres’] children hugged my children and thanked them.”